


Frayed

by HarleyJQuin



Series: Trope Bingo 2020 [12]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: BAMF Stiles, Bad Friend Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), FBI Agent Stiles Stilinski, Isolated/Trapped Trope, Kidnapping, M/M, Stiles Stilinski Leaves Beacon Hills, mentions of torture, trope bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:14:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26788804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarleyJQuin/pseuds/HarleyJQuin
Summary: When Peter goes missing without a trace Stiles does everything he can to rescue his mate.
Relationships: Chris Argent/Sheriff Stilinski, Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Series: Trope Bingo 2020 [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1774528
Comments: 34
Kudos: 529





	Frayed

**Author's Note:**

> Late for the Just_Write Discord Trope Bingo (I am still going to slowly work on my bingo cards.)  
> Isolated/Trapped Square
> 
> Thanks QueenieKildare for the help while I was writing.
> 
> Some mentions of torture.

Stiles was worried, he and Peter had been regularly texting since Stiles left Beacon Hills after the nogitsune incident. He visited Beacon Hills occasionally to see his dad and he stayed in touch with all of the Hales when he left but he was most definitely closer to Peter. Even when he was at Berkley getting his master's degree Peter visited frequently and texted almost every day, they became a couple during his second year but Peter would only agree to give it a try if Stiles promised he wouldn’t give up on his plan to be an FBI agent.

He hadn’t heard from Peter in over a week which was why he was so concerned. Peter always let him know when he would be uncontactable for a few days and it was never for more than a few days. He had tried calling a few times but the calls rang out and went to voicemail.

Stiles picked up his phone and he decided it was time to call in the cavalry. “Derek?”

Derek sighed, “What’s up Stiles?”

Stiles stated with no preamble, “I am worried about Peter. He’s been out of contact for over a week now.”

Stiles could hear Derek moving at the other end of the phone. Derek asked, “Have you tried calling him? He could just be sulking but you know he would never ignore your calls.”

“Several times,” Stiles confirmed, “The calls ring out and go to voicemail. I want to check on him but I can’t leave my training as we have assessments this week.”

Derek hurriedly said, “No. Uncle Peter would kill you if you ditched your FBI training to check on him. I am already on my way back to Beacon Hills to see Noah and Chris so I can check on him when I get there.”

Stiles smiled, “Thanks, Derek. I should be able to visit in a few weeks once training is done. I am still waiting to hear where I will be working but I am pretty sure it will be one of the Quantico based teams.”

Derek started to pack his duffle and he said, “I will give you a call when I find him, ok?”

“Thanks, Sourwolf.” Stiles laughed at Derek’s groan at the old nickname, “Say hi to Dad and Chris for me.” An alarm went off in the background, “Right, gotta go, I am due on the range for more testing. Thanks for checking on him for me, Derek.”

It was late by the time Derek arrived in Beacon Hills, he dropped his bags off at Noah and Chris’ as he had a standing invitation to stay whenever he was in town. Chris let him know Noah was on an overnight shift and wouldn’t be back until morning. 

Derek headed to the door, “I am going to check on Uncle Peter, I haven’t heard from him in over a week now and I’m worried as Peter is never out of contact for that long.”

Chris looked thoughtful, “I haven’t seen him for a few weeks, the last time was at the pack meeting Scott held to discuss a wendigo that was moving through the territory.” He checked the texts on his phone and he confirmed, “That was last Thursday, so well over a week ago. Want some company?”

Derek shook his head as he knew only himself and Stiles knew the location of Peter’s apartment. “Thanks for the offer but I should be fine. I am going to go on foot so Scott doesn’t see the Camaro driving around town.”

Chris scowled, “One of you needs to alpha up so the Hales can claim back your territory. McCall is killing this territory slowly by not dealing with threats.”

Derek turned and he asked, “What did Scott do with the wendigo?”

Chris sighed, “He let it go when it promised not to attack anyone in the Beacon County territory.”

Derek gaped, “Doesn’t he have treaties with the surrounding packs that tell him to deal with threats appropriately?”

Chris shook his head, “No. When he found out he would be required to kill he refused to sign. Deaton told him he would lose his alpha spark if he resorted to killing.”

Derek contemplated his options and he asked, “Let me figure out what’s going on with Peter then we can all talk about it with Noah when he gets home.”

Chris nodded and he went back to his office to start searching for reports of rogue alphas.

Derek went out the back door of the Stilinski house and he jumped the fence at the back of the property to enter the preserve unseen. He ran through the forest to stay hidden from any pack members who might be on patrol. As a born wolf he had slightly better hearing than bitten wolves and used it to his advantage to avoid Liam and Theo who were noisily discussing their college assignments as they ran the patrol route.

He slowly made his way through town avoiding people as much as he could before he entered his Uncle’s apartment building in the center of town. Typical of his uncle he lived on the top floor in a very opulent penthouse which doubled as his office for the brokerage firm he ran with occasional help from Derek when he was able to get online.

Derek used his keycard in the elevator to get access to the penthouse and when it arrived on the top floor he entered slowly. He couldn’t hear any heartbeats in the apartment nor the apartment below so he carefully walked through looking for any sign of what his uncle might be up to.

His heart sunk when he found Peter’s phone plugged into the bedside table. Like Stiles, Peter was never one to leave his apartment without his phone. Ever.

He picked up the phone and looked through the notifications and he saw the texts and calls from Stiles as well as Cora and a few of his clients. He made a mental note of their names so he could deal with them via email tomorrow.

He checked out the rest of the apartment and based on the phone and the state of the fridge he would say Peter hadn’t been at home for at least a week.

He went down to the front concierge, a tall willowy man called Trent, and he asked for the records for Peter’s apartment. The concierge tried to deny it until he handed over ID showing he was part owner of the building with Peter and the records were handed over. 

Before he went back up to the apartment he asked, “When did you last see Peter?”

Trent thought about the question and he checked the records on his computer and he said, last Thursday, he got back in late after a meeting I think he said then he came down half an hour later to collect a pizza delivery. I remember hearing him complain to the driver that he didn’t order the pizzas but they were bought and paid for so Peter took them back to his apartment.”

Derek nodded and he said, “It’s likely that the Sheriff’s office will be asking for the same information. I will be calling them when I get back upstairs. Can you allow them up when they get here, also, you have my permission as part owner to hand over the records to them.”

Trent put the note in the computer system and said he would let the day staff know of the change.

Derek put the records down on the coffee table when he got back upstairs and he checked the kitchen but there was no sign of any pizza anywhere.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and he called Noah, “Hey Noah. I need you to come to Peter’s apartment with Parrish if he’s on duty. It looks like he went missing about a week ago.” 

Noah sighed, “Can you text me the address, I am with Jordan now on patrol so we will head to you once we know where we are going.”

Derek sent the text off to Noah who confirmed he received it before he hung up.

Derek slumped against the wall, he knew it was the middle of the night in Virginia but he knew if he waited Stiles would kill him so he made the call.

“Hello? Derek?” Stiles answered sounding half asleep and groggy.

Derek took a deep breath and he said, “It looks like Peter is missing. His phone is still plugged into the charger by the side of his bed.”

Stiles sat up in a hurry, “Fuck. Fuck. Do you know what happened?”

Derek explained, “It looks like he received a pizza delivery after the pack meeting last Thursday and he went down to the lobby to collect it and never made it back to his room. I called your dad and he’s on his way with Parrish.”

Stiles asked, “Can you keep me updated. Dad doesn’t know that we are friends.”

Derek sighed warily, “He’s going to find out Stiles. His phone is still here and your texts and calls are on the lock screen.”

“Right,” Stiles huffed, “I forgot about that. Are you able to stick around for a while and deal with his clients? I know he had a few major meetings coming up that can't be missed.”

Derek agreed, “I can, I have a list of clients that have called or texted over the last week who I will be following up with tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” Stiles said on the tail end of a yawn.

Derek said quietly, “Scott isn’t going to like me sticking around but Chris mentioned he wants a Hale to take back the territory before Scott kills it completely.”

Stiles commented, “You are going to need allies. Maybe talk to Jackson and Ethan and see if they are ready to come home, they are both powerful betas. Also, talk to Deucalion, he would be a good ally to have at your back.”

Derek heard the elevator ding to let him know someone had arrived. “I gotta go, Noah and Parrish are here. I will keep you updated by text. Do not let your studies slide, ok?”

Stiles agreed, “I trust you to take care of it Sourwolf. If he hasn’t been found by the time my training is done I will come home for my break. Thanks.”

Derek hung up the call and walked through to greet Noah and Jordan at the elevator. 

Noah was looking around wide-eyed, “What’s going on Derek?”

Derek sent a silent apology to Stiles as he said, “I got a call from Stiles as he was worried about Uncle Peter. They text most days and have phone calls a few times a week. He’s been radio silent for over a week now. I came here to check it out and found his phone on his bedside table and it looks like he hasn’t been here for at least a week based on the state of his fridge and the lack of scent around the apartment.”

Jordan said, “He was at the pack meeting last Thursday. I remember he had a huge argument with Scott who ordered him that he couldn’t kill the wendigo that was making its way through our territory.”

Derek nodded, “Chris mentioned he was there. Trent, the concierge downstairs, said that he received a pizza order after the meeting which he went down to collect. Trent remembered that he was telling the driver that he didn't order the pizza and when I checked the apartment there is no sign of pizza anywhere so I don’t think he made it back upstairs.”

Noah frowned, “Stiles, my son Stiles called you?”

Derek rubbed the back of his neck, “Yeah, he’s been dating Peter for about three years, Noah.”

“Oh,” Noah sighed, “I knew he was dating someone but he wouldn’t tell me any details.”

Derek explained, “That is likely Peter’s doing. He wouldn’t agree to date Stiles until Stiles agreed to keep it between themselves and that he wouldn’t let their dating stop his plans to join the FBI. He was worried Scott would stop Stiles from being able to visit if he found out they were dating. I only found out because I surprised them on one of his visits home.”  
  
Jordan giggled at the horrified look on Derek’s face. 

Noah asked, “So how public do you want the investigation?”

Derek shook his head, “Not public at all if we can help it. Scott doesn’t realize it but the threat of Uncle Peter helps keep this territory a lot quieter than it would be.”

Noah gave Derek a pointed look and he said, “This territory needs a Hale. You know it does.”

Derek agreed, “Chris and Stiles said the same thing and Stiles suggested some people I should contact who would probably join me if I was to try and take back the territory.” 

Noah said, “If we don’t make it public it’s unlikely we can get subpoenas for the video footage.”

Derek said, “We won’t need it. I have full access to the cloud servers the videos are stored on.” He walked to the coffee table to pick up the records, “I was going to use these access records to work out the timeframe so I could pull the appropriate videos. I had Danny set up the video security in the various buildings we own around California.”

Noah asked, “What do you need us to do?”

Derek thought about the options and he asked, “Can you lodge the missing persons report so it’s in the system? I will look after his business until we find him.”

Noah asked, “Will you stay here?”

Derek shook his head, “No, Peter organized for the apartment below us to be redecorated for me a few months ago and it should be ready at the end of the week for me to move in. I left my bags and the Camaro at your place if it’s still ok for me to stay.”

Noah grinned, “Of course! I will get Jordan to file the missing persons report when we get back to the station. Let me know if anything shows up on the video footage.”

Derek gave him a mock salute as they walked back to the elevator.

-x- 

Stiles was getting frustrated, it had been over a month since Peter went missing and there was no sign of him. He hadn’t touched any of his bank accounts, not even the secret ones that only Stiles and Derek knew about. He spent his break between training and his first assignment doing double duty between searching Beacon Hills for any sign of Peter and avoiding Scott and his pack in equal measures.

The video footage from the apartment building the night the pizza arrived showed Peter getting into the elevator from the camera in the lobby but there was no footage from the elevator camera of him at all that night. They had Danny have a look at the servers and he could find no sign of tampering which pointed to whoever got hold of Peter having a magic-user with them. They scoured the other cameras and there was no sign of anyone in the building who didn’t belong and when they did a door knock to ask around no one had seen anyone who didn't live in the building that night.

While Stiles was home he and Noah talked about the fact that Peter and Stiles had been a couple for three years and yet neither of them had told him about it. Stiles growled, “Why would I tell you? The one time I tried to be honest about my sexual leanings you dismissed it due to what I was wearing.”

Noah looked gutted as he said, “Oh kiddo, I thought you were just using it as an excuse to get out of trouble. You resort to sarcasm and snark when you are trying to distract me.”

Stiles shrugged dismissively and Noah pulled him into a hug, “Look Stiles, I don’t have a problem with you being gay or bi or whatever your preference is, how could I considering I married Chris last year. Nor do I have a problem with you being with Peter, not when I know that behind his lethal exterior he’s a good man with loyalty in spades. I just wish you had trusted me enough to tell me.”

Stiles snuggled into his dad’s hug and he murmured, “We have to find him. I can’t lose him, Dad. I can’t.” 

Once the awkward talk was done they go together with Derek and Chris and they all agreed that whatever or whoever got hold of Peter had knocked him out fast. Peter was brought up to be Talia’s left hand and that had left Peter lethal unless taken by surprise. Something hard to do to a born werewolf without significant help.

When Stiles’ break was over and he got back to Quantico he had a meeting with the Deputy Director who recruited him, Sam Conway, who was the head of the supernatural teams within the FBI. He reported his long-term relationship with Peter and that Peter had been missing for over a month. 

Sam permitted him to set up certain alerts in the system if Peter’s name came up in reports and he also promised that he would have one of his teams quietly investigate as it was a concern that someone could snatch someone as well trained as Peter Hale without leaving a trace behind.

Over the next few years, there was still no trace of Peter and a few other well-trained wolves also disappeared without a trace. Derek could still feel his pack bond to Peter but it was muted so they couldn’t follow it to a specific location. It was just enough for their small pack to know he was still alive, for now. Chris and Derek both had all of their contacts that they trusted keeping an eye out for any sign of Peter but there was nothing. Even Deucalion’s many contacts came up blank.

Stiles worked for various FBI teams getting the experience Sam decided that he needed and after just over two years Stiles was transferred to the supernatural task force in San Francisco. 

He had worked with them a few times on Peter’s missing persons case and by the time he was transferred to the team, there were four werewolves and a kitsune that had also gone missing in mysterious circumstances. They were all known to be vicious fighters and several were trained as pack left hands but all but one were somewhat estranged from their pack. The team was having a hell of a time keeping the information quiet so as not to cause a panic in the supernatural world.

The first time Stiles visited Beacon Hills after his transfer to San Francisco his dad took him out to visit Derek in the preserve for a pack dinner. Stiles stood shocked at the sight of the large pack house that Noah said looked fairly similar to the one that burned down. As they toured the house with Derek he could see that it had many modern touches including a fair amount of automation and the house was warded to hell and gone by a druid friend of Deucalion’s.

Derek and Chris had been working on the plan to find Derek a rogue alpha to kill so he could eventually take back Beacon Hills before Scott ran the territory into the ground. Deucalion was helping them both as he wanted to be part of a real pack again but as someone who trains the pack rather than as the leader. He had been giving Derek the lessons that he should have had as a teenager in how to be a good alpha and pack protocols. Stiles had a feeling that Deucalion already had an alpha in mind for Derek and he was just waiting for the right time.

Stiles finally got a break in the case about six months after he had been back in San Francisco. He had been out for his morning run beside the preserve, racing Derek who was running in the trees in his full shift form when he saw Scott step out of a large house built on the edge of the preserve outside of the land Derek owned.

Stiles commented as he stopped beside Scott and he said, “Nice house.”

Scott beamed at him and he said, “Thanks, I won the lottery a few years back and bought the land and house for the pack to use.”

Stiles squeezed Scott’s shoulder and he replied grudgingly, “That’s great dude. Congrats.” Scott looked like he was about to say more but Stiles interrupted, “I would love to catch up but I am already running late for breakfast with daddio. Cya.”

Stiles waited until he was out of sight of the house before he glanced across at the trees to make sure Derek was keeping pace with him. He murmured, “Back to the house?”

Derek nodded in his wolf form and they sprinted back to the pack house forgetting about their playful games they were playing just ten minutes earlier. 

As soon as Derek was back in his human form as he was getting dressed with the clothes he left on the front porch he blurted, “Scott lied, I can’t believe he's been lying all these years.”

Stiles frowned, “Lied about what, Derek?”

Derek looked at him wide-eyed, “He told us all nearly two years ago, I think, that he won the lottery, not the main prize but one of the lower division prizes. A few million and change. When he told us there was no deception in his scent or his heartbeat. But just now, when he told you, he lied. He damn near reeked of deception.”

Stiles nodded, “He gave that way in his face. It wasn’t super obvious but one of the courses I took was how to read micro-expressions to read the truth of things. I figured it was a good idea when I run with wolves and it paid off. Even as a squishy human, I could see the lie in his face.”

Derek scrubbed his face with his hand and he quietly asked, “If he didn’t get the money from winning the lottery where did it come from?”

Stiles didn’t like the direction his thoughts were going in and he said, “It’s something I want to look into. I know it won’t be from a family inheritance as none of his grandparents are rich enough and I don’t like the implications that my brain is conjuring, to be honest.”

Derek said absently, “I think he got more than two million. The clerk I deal with at the town hall said he wanted to buy the Hale land from the county and he was apparently not pleased that I bought it back before he could get his sticky fingers all over it.”

Stiles murmured, “Curiouser and curiouser. Can you let Dad and Chris know I am skipping breakfast I need to head to the office. Please don’t say anything to anyone else. I don’t want Scott to find out I knew he was lying about the lottery win.”

Derek agreed, “Not a word. I think I need to have a word with Deucalion when he gets here for training today.”

Stiles nodded in agreement and he ran inside to have the quickest shower in history as Derek got one of his suits ready. He knew Stiles wanted to get to the office before his boss back in Quantico left for his afternoon meetings. 

As Stiles sprinted out the door Derek handed over his backpack which had a few power bars stashed inside for snacking on later.

Stiles called his SSA from the car while he was on his way to the field office and asked if he could meet him at the office in an hour for an urgent meeting. He also requested that a secure call was arranged with Deputy Director Conway for later in the afternoon if the hunch he had about Scott’s income was correct. 

He had a quick meeting with SSA Phelps where he explained the encounter he had with Scott and how both himself and Derek, unseen by Scott, picked up that he lied about the lottery win. He put forward the case that it was too much of a coincidence that the supposed lottery win came in not long after Peter went missing.

Matt Phelps nodded thoughtfully and he said, “You need to find more than circumstantial evidence to convince a judge to give you a warrant. I would normally suggest bringing Scott in for questioning but if he is being watched it could tip off the group that have Peter.”

Stiles whispered, “They could kill Peter and the others they have if they think we are getting close.”

Matt nodded in agreement and he suggested, “Talk to Sam, he's waiting for your call, I know he has a few contacts in DC who are sitting judges who would know a way to word your search warrant request to get it through the mundane filter with the little information you have.”

Stiles nodded and he went to his office to make the call. He explained what he and Matt suspected to Sam who promised he would call in a few favors to get the search warrant. He agreed with Stiles that if Scott was arrested too soon that the ringleaders would ditch whatever they were doing and would kill the creatures they had captive.

With the strings Sam was able to pull, Stiles only had to wait two hours for Scott’s financials for the last six years to come through. Sam had added a note to the records to say he already had one of his cyber analysts chasing down the large transactions that were on the account. 

Stiles heart sunk when he saw that Scott had received the first 2 million dollars a month after Peter disappeared and then regular payments each quarter ranging from $500k to 1.5 million dollars. If Stiles hunch was correct, and seriously with the evidence in front of him how can he be wrong, Scott has made over 10 million dollars selling Peter to whoever currently has him.

Sam ended up flying to the San Francisco field office to assist in the investigation, partially to keep an eye on it so the reports would pass the mundane check when all was said and done, and partially to keep Stiles in check if they found the information that would lead to their location. Stiles understood that he would not be able to be in on the arrest due to his relationship with Peter.

After a few weeks of the team chasing their tails, Stiles worked out from past payment dates that the next payment was due to be paid in a week and he suggested putting a tracker on Scott’s bank account to track the IP the payment comes from as it comes in.

This idea hit pay dirt and the IP tracked to a small town an hour's drive from Redding. Sam sent in a couple of his magic users from the task force team based in New York who specialized in stealth magic. They confirmed that several of the missing wolves were being held in cages in the old mine just outside of the town, including Peter Hale, and the group was running an underground fight ring. They were able to detect the wards that the group had up around the mine which their scans showed were mostly to keep the captives separated from any pack bonds they may have. 

The best news they had come back with was the details for a fight night that was scheduled for the next Friday, so if they timed it right they would be able to capture not just the people running the ring but the people attending the fights. 

Sam had checked out the photos taken by the two magic users and based on the number of guards and the names of the attendees that were due to attend the fight night he called in the various supernatural task force teams from around the country giving them over fifty agents to make arrests. 

He also talked to Stiles and confirmed that Peter was one of the wolves being held and as his significant other he had to stay away from the case. Sam had come to know Stiles well though and he agreed that Stiles could stay in the local field office watching the takedown remotely he would be able to watch the satellites with the cyber team that was being set up to record all the body cam feeds to get evidence. Stiles decided until he had Peter safe and home he would not be notifying anyone in Beacon Hills. Derek was away with Deucalion finally dealing with a stubborn rogue alpha and Stiles didn’t want to interrupt that.

Sam knew this case had far-reaching implications. Especially given that there were over twenty wolves and a handful of other creatures that were found in the cells and Sam was sure by the end of it Alpha Scott McCall wouldn’t be the only wolf that would be charged with human trafficking and slavery charges for selling an unwanted pack beta to the fight club.

To everyone’s surprise, the raid went off without much of a hitch. There were a few injuries when the ringleaders tried to resist arrest and they shot at the agents with wolfsbane rounds but they were wearing warded bulletproof vests which prevented most of the shots from doing any actual damage. 

Stiles was beyond angry when he saw through one of the body cams that two of the people being arrested were Gerard and Kate Argent. He couldn’t believe that Scott would deal with them no matter how much he hated Peter. He ignored that for now as he listened closely to find out what hospital Peter was being taken to. 

Their original plan was to take all the captives to one of the hospitals in Redding that had a high concentration of supernatural staff and they had arranged for a ward to be closed to the public so they could treat the patients and give them some privacy, but there was a second group of prisoners that had been brought in as cannon fodder who needed urgent medical help.

Sam walked up to one of the agents wearing a body cam and he said, “Stiles, you need to head to Shasta Medical Centre. I'll have someone waiting for you at the entrance who'll take you to Peter.”

Stiles keys were grabbed by one of the cyber team who jumped in the driver's seat as she commented, “You are in no fit state to drive, you’re nearly vibrating out of your skin.”

Stiles smiled shakily from the passenger seat and he said, “He’s been missing for three years. I just can’t wait to see him again.”

Stiles found Matt waiting outside the hospital for him and he asked, “How is he?”

Matt shook his head, “I haven’t been in yet. I was dealing with another group of captives.” He hesitated before he asked, “You saw who had him?”

Stiles nodded, “Yes. Both of them are supposed to be dead, so that’s going to be fun for someone to unravel.”

Matt said, “I am giving you time off to help Peter recover, it’s going to be a long road for all of them but I think if you’re there it will help him. From reports that have come in from some of the captives he was the focus of a lot of their attention.”

Stiles scowled as they walked through the medical center. He asked, “Can you do me a favor? Throw the book at Scott and whoever else was involved. Get them for everything and make sure all the proceeds they received go to Peter.”

Matt asked, “What about Beacon Hills? The Nemeton can't be left unprotected.”

Stiles smirked, “By the time we get home there will be a Hale Alpha in Beacon Hills, he will take back the territory officially and any pack members who want to stay in Beacon Hills can petition to join his pack. That is, once you are done questioning them to find out who knew about the plan to kidnap my mate.”

Matt looked sideways at Stiles and he snarked, “You’re a ruthless little bastard, aren’t you?”

Stiles grinned but as they turned the corner Stiles nearly sobbed at the first sight of his mate in three years. At the end of the ward he saw Peter sitting on one of the beds with one of the task force standing guard. 

The three years in captivity had been hard on him as he had several large gashes littering his severely emaciated body. He looked like he was still waiting to be checked out by one of the doctors who were dealing with a few of the more seriously injured wolves.

Stiles ran to Peter not expecting him to jump from the bed and run towards the back of the ward looking for an exit.

Matt yelled authoritatively, “Agent Stilinski, Stand. Down!”

Stiles did as ordered and he froze in place as Peter started looking around frantically for Stiles.

Peter murmured, “Stiles?”

The agent that was guarding him commented, “They let off a modified flashbang grenade which has left them all with some degree of temporary blindness.”

Stiles cursed, “Fuckers!” Quieter he asked, “Peter? Can I approach?”

Peter nodded and Stiles approached slowly so as not to spook Peter again. As soon as he was close enough he reached out to grasp Peter’s hand and he pulled him in for a hug. He wasn’t surprised when Peter buried his nose in his neck and took deep breaths of something familiar. When he felt Peter start to relax he pulled Peter toward the hospital bed and he said, “Come on Zombiewolf, let’s get you cleaned up so we can get you home.”

Peter vehemently shook his head and clung even tighter to Stiles, “No no no no no, I can’t go back to Beacon Hills. Scott will do it again, I can’t go through that again. Don’t let them take me again.”

Matt stepped forward and he said, “Beta Hale, we have already sent a team in to apprehend Scott McCall and his pack for questioning over your kidnap and the payments he received periodically since you were taken.”

Peter asked, “Who are you?”

Stiles explained, "This is SSA Matt Phelps, he’s my boss in the San Francisco field office. Deputy Director Sam Conway is around here somewhere too. I will take you on a visit to the office once you are somewhat recovered.”

Matt agreed, “Sounds good Stiles. Sam is trying to find a doctor who can stitch up Peter’s chest and he's also hunting down some scrubs for Peter to change into until you get him home and into his own clothes.”

Stiles asked, “Do they know how long his blindness will last?”

Peter mumbled, “It usually only lasts a few hours. It was designed to keep us from running as they transferred us from the arena cells back to the holding cells. They were also rigged to go off if the wards were breached.”

Stiles snarked, “Let me guess. Gerard still likes to monologue?”

Peter nodded, “You were right sweetheart, he’s so much worse when he has a captive audience.”

Stiles asked Matt, “Do you need to take a statement from Peter?”

Matt shook his head, “No, we knew you would want to take him home as soon as he was released so Agent Bend took his statement on the way to the medical center. The doctors are going to have some information for you about how to get him eating solids again. They have kept him on the bare minimum liquid diet the whole time they have had him so you need to be careful.”

Stiles nodded, he had researched the hell out of refeeding syndrome during one of his research binges in high school. He asked, “Won’t his wolf healing mitigate the onset of reseeding syndrome?”

The doctor approached and he said, “Yes, and no. He will need to eat for his wolf to have the strength for his werewolf healing to kick in but if he overdoes it then he could still stress his system out which could still lead to the refeeding syndrome before his wolf is healed enough. Just take it easy for the first week and gradually increase his food intake each day. I will give you some electrolyte solution that is formulated for wolves to use for the first few days just to give him a boost. I have an information packet for you both to take with you. For now, let’s get these wounds stitched up to give his healing some help.”

Stiles moved to stand up from where he was sitting beside Peter but he clung to Stiles' arm and whispered, “Don’t leave me, Stiles.”

Stiles glanced at the doctor who nodded and Stiles got settled beside Peter and held the back of his neck in comfort while the various wounds on his torso were cleaned out and stitched closed. 

Once the doctor was done and Stiles had the info packet and supplements he helped Peter get changed into the scrubs the doctor provided. 

Sam approached and he said, “I have ordered a car to take you both back to Beacon Hills, Peter will need to be with his pack to recover and he is unlikely to let go of you for long enough for you to drive home. Beta Hale, are you ok with us sending your preliminary statement to Agent Stilinski so he knows what to expect with your recovery?”

Peter nodded his agreement, and he added, “Sure, as long as you understand he will be sending it to our lawyer to review and Stiles and Ralph will be present at any questioning going forward.”

Sam agreed and he looked to Stiles for confirmation.

Stiles said, “Thanks Sam, can you send it to my phone and I will review it on the drive home. A driver sounds good too. Before we go, is Scott is taken care of?”

Sam nodded, “He is in the supernatural holding cells in the San Fransisco office. The rest of the task force agents have already left to arrest the other packs that were involved based on the ledgers found in Gerard's office.” He grimaced and added, “Scott’s a self-righteous little shit isn't he?”

Stiles laughed, “I tried to warn you. You know he’s the reason I avoided Beacon Hills for so long. Just keep me in the loop if he gets bail, I want to keep him away from my pack.”

Sam shrugged, “He won’t get bail. He has already been charged and denied bail due to the seriousness of the charges. The rest of his pack are being interrogated as we speak.”

Stiles leaned down and he whispered, “Are you ready to go home?”

Peter nodded, he looked like he was on the verge of passing out. “Just promise you won’t leave me.”

Stiles kissed the top of his head and he said, “Never again.”

Agent Bend volunteered to drive them back to Beacon Hills as Peter was already used to his presence and had accepted it as not a threat. He led them out to one of the agency SUVs in the parking lot and gestured for them to get into the backseat. He said, “I grabbed the blanket you keep in your office before we left so you can wrap him in it if he needs to sleep.”

“Thanks, Phil,” He helped Peter into the backseat and tucked the blanket around him before he climbed up to snuggle in beside him. Peter was asleep before they left the medical center car park, finally feeling safe wrapped in his mate’s arms.

Stiles spent the drive home reading through the files Sam had sent through and trying desperately to control the anger he felt at just what Kate and Gerard had put Peter through for the last three years. He sent a text to Derek to say he was on his way home and he asked if he could let his dad and Chris know so they could meet him at the pack house. He didn’t mention Peter as he felt that was something better revealed in person.

Peter woke up when they were twenty minutes away from the pack house. He cuddled into Stiles and he said, “I missed you so much, sweetheart.”

Stiles asked, “I missed you too, Zombiewolf. So much. Every spare minute I had I spent searching for you.”

Phil grinned from the front seat as he said, “It was Stiles relentlessness led us to you Beta Hale. He has spent the last three years trying to find the bastards that took you. He only stepped back from the investigation last week when we confirmed you were being held in the mines.”

Peter smiled, “So the bastards can't use your involvement to get off the charges then?”

Stiles shook his head, “Nope. I was pissed off at first but Sam had a good point. As soon as we confirmed they had multiple wolves captive Deputy Director Conway, Sam, came and personally took point in the investigation to make sure all the i’s were dotted and t’s crossed correctly. He is hell-bent on there being no wriggle room for any of them.”

Peter whispered, “Thank you, thank you for not giving up on me.” He turned to Phil and he said, “Make sure Lydia Martin is charged. She and Scott regularly visited to tell me all about how Lydia and Stiles were a couple and how he had forgotten all about me. They visited before the last fight to tell me how you proposed to her and showed me a diamond ring.”

“Wow,” Stiles breathed, “I knew she was vindictive but I didn’t think she was this much of a psycho. I have barely spoken to her since I left Beacon Hills. You need to mention this when we go in for your interviews.”

When they pulled up to the house Peter whispered, “Where are we?”

Stiles looked around and he said, “Derek rebuilt the house a few years ago. Dad said it looks a lot like the pictures of the old Hale House. Are you ready, how’s your vision?”

Peter wiggled his hand in a so-so motion, “I can see enough to move around. Everything is still a little blurry.”

Phil got out the front seat and he came around the SUV to help Stiles get Peter out of the backseat as Derek, Noah, Chris, and surprisingly Cora came out to see what was going on.

Stiles held his hand up to keep them on the porch as he made sure Peter was able to stand on his own. Stiles whispered, “There are two Hales on the porch who look very happy to see you. Are you ready to be glomped?”

Peter smiled and he said, “As long as they don’t mind glomping you at the same time.”

Derek and Cora rushed forward and pulled the pair into a group hug. Derek had tears running down his face at the state his uncle was in. Noah and Chris both approached and squeezed Peter’s shoulder in welcome.

Phil passed over Stiles blanket to Noah and the rest of his things to Chris before he said, “Deputy Director Conway will be in touch in a few days to set up interviews once the initial round of interrogations are finished. I need to get back to the office to help with those interrogations. I will tell Sam about Lydia's involvement so he can add it to her questioning but it will need to be added to your official statement at some point.”

Stiles looked up as everyone moved back from the SUV and he shook Phil’s hand, “Thanks for driving us home, Phil. I will keep SSA Phelps updated with Peter’s recovery and once he’s a bit more mobile we will head in with his lawyer.”

Once the SUV was out of sight Stiles asked, “Can you get inside on your own, or do you need help?”

Peter swallowed and showing some of his previous fire he said, “As much as I am loathed to admit it, I do need help getting inside.”

Derek approached and he asked, “May I?”

Peter nodded albeit reluctantly and Derek scooped him up in his arms and gently carried him through to the living room with Stiles walking beside him so Peter wouldn’t panic. 

When they all got settled in the living room Derek asked, “What happened? Where was he?”

Stiles glanced at Peter for permission and when he nodded he said, “He was sold to an underground fight club by Scott and possibly a few other members of his pack. Scott’s lottery win was actually him getting a cut of Peter’s fight club winnings.”

Chris asked nervously as if he already suspected he knew the answer, “Who was running the fight club, Stiles?”

Stiles hung his head down, he knew this was going to devastate the hunter, “Kate and Gerard. They had over the last three years captured over twenty wolves from various packs around the country as well as a handful of other creatures. They catered to rich businessmen who liked to bet on the vicious matches not realizing most of them were rigged.”

Cora frowned and she demanded, “Rigged how, Stiles?”

Stiles scrubbed his face with this free hand, “When they raided the club they found two groups of fighters, the long term group Peter was in that had been sold to the group and there was another group of near-feral omegas who were brought in and usually killed off after the fights if they didn’t die during the fights.”

Derek asked, “So the blood I can smell on Peter is from tonight's fight?”

Peter shook his head, “No, the raid happened before my fight occurred. The gashes are from Lydia and Scott’s last visit. Whenever they visited Kate would bring out her favorite weapons for them to play with. Lydia was pissed off about something so she dug the wolfsbane imbued knives in extra deep until Kate pulled her away.”

Stiles stood and he stormed out the front door. Peter watched him go and swore, he looked at Derek and he demanded, “Help me up! I need to stop him.”

Derek helped Peter outside and the others all followed them as Peter called out, “Stiles! Where are you going?”

Stiles cupped Peter’s face in his hands and he gave him a gentle kiss as he said, “I’m not leaving, I promise, I just need to let off some steam lest I go kill the conniving bitch.”

They all followed Stiles through the trees until he found his clearing. It was one that Peter recognized but he thought it was smaller the last time he saw it. He raised an eyebrow at Derek who was propping him up.

Derek explained, “Stiles has magic but he doesn’t want others to know, so he needs a safe outlet. He uses this clearing and basically blasts the trees until he’s worked whatever is stressing him out of his system.”

They watched as Stiles seemed to take a few breaths to center himself before energy balls started to form between his hands and he started throwing them at the trees on the other side of the clearing. Everyone but Derek and Stiles jumped when the trees started to explode when the energy balls hit them leaving them nothing more than kindling when he was done. 

Stiles was panting by the time he had obliterated several trees and he turned and pulled Peter into a hug. He murmured, “She will pay, they all will for what they put you through. I promise.”

The wolves turned when they heard a car approaching at speed and the small pack made their way back to the house. Stiles asked Peter to stay out of sight to be on the safe side as they didn’t know who was approaching.

Stiles stood at the bottom of the stairs with Derek beside him as the rest of the pack hovered in the treeline listening as Melissa McCall pulled up to the house. 

She stormed up to Stiles and she yelled, “Where the hell do you get off arresting Scott.”

Stiles raised an eyebrow and he said, “I have made no arrests today, Mrs. McCall. In fact, I have been placed on compassionate leave while your son's activities are being investigated.”

Melissa snarled, “Why the hell would you need compassionate leave?”

Stiles flailed his arms toward Peter who was approaching, held up between Noah and Chris and he said, “To support my mate, Peter, who was sold by your son into an illegal fight club run by Gerard and Kate Argent.”

Peter snarled as Stiles moved to replace his father in supporting Peter, “Before you spout off that it wasn’t your son, he visited often with Ms. Martin to gloat about my predicament as I was kept captive and tortured for the last three years. So please, do tell us all how your perfect son didn’t do anything wrong.”

She whispered, “How dare you, you’re the bastard who caused all of this, you only have yourself to blame for what happened to you.” 

Everyone’s jaws dropped at the level of crazy she had on display and Derek was quick to react when she raised her arm to slap Peter. She was surprised to find her wrist suddenly stopped in midair as Derek caught her before she could connect. He threw her arm back knocking her slightly off-balance as Stiles moved to stand in front of Peter to protect him. 

Stiles said resigned, “Just go, Mrs. McCall. You are not welcome here, please leave before I call someone to have you arrested for trespassing. You might want to find Scott a good lawyer, Human Trafficking and slavery is are federal crimes and he and his co-conspirators are looking at a very long time in jail.”  
  
She glared at them all before she left promising that she would report them to Rafe for abuse of power.

As they made their way inside Peter asked, “Stiles, why are you sniggering?”

Stiles commented, “Rafe is under investigation to see what his involvement is with his son’s activities. He is going to be no use for Melissa.”

It took nearly a week with a lot of time spent in cuddles with the rest of the pack before Peter felt ready for the trip into the San Francisco field office for his interview and formal statement. He was happy that Derek had taken on the mantle of Alpha again and surprised with the help Derek was getting from Deucalion. 

Once they had been cleared, Derek accepted Scott’s betas into the pack… after they each made a magically binding oath that they had no idea that Scott was involved in Peter’s disappearance and that they would not aid Scott in any way.

It was surprising that Scott was one of only two alphas involved in selling off a pack member to the fighting ring, the rest were betas and even a few hunters who wanted the wolf that was captured taken out of their territory.

Scott, Lydia, and Dr. Deaton were all found guilty of Human Trafficking, Accessory to Kidnapping, and Slavery. Scott and Lydia were also found guilty of Accessory to Assault, and Assault for the torture Peter was put through for the three years he was held captive. They all received life sentences in a special prison designed to hold supernatural creatures of all types. 

It took nearly three months for Peter to completely recover from the physical damage done to him while he was held captive. He agreed to see a supernaturally aware therapist that Sam recommended. She was one that dealt with many members of the supernatural task force. She said it would take years for him to recover fully from what he was put through. 

With this in mind, knowing that Peter would need him as he recovered, Stiles resigned from the FBI and he joined the Beacon Hills Sheriff’s Department as a Crime Scene Technician.

Derek grew to be a great alpha and became as well respected as his mother before him. Once word got out that he was open to treaties he was approached by many packs to create alliances. Peter agreed to take on the role as Derek’s second and Stiles as his emissary, Deucalion was happy to take on the role of pack left hand and he took on Liam as his apprentice, training him up to take over when he was older but also helping him channel his anger into far more useful pursuits.

Peter and Stiles celebrated the first anniversary of his freedom by getting married in the back yard of the packhouse. It was a small wedding but all of the pack were there to celebrate with them.

As a final fuck you to Scott and Lydia they passed on a photo of the whole pack celebrating the happy event through Stiles’ old bosses at the FBI knowing they would both scream in rage that the pack was happy without them. 


End file.
